September 22, 2011

(If you are looking for "Chicken Little", you need to see my blog entry for September 21, 2011.)

Today, which I think is the first day of Autumn, I woke up to Good News and Bad News.

Good News First:

1.  Hi!

I woke up!

2.  Thank you, President Kennedy

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, an Organization that shows how great we are as a Nation.. 

3.  No Chubby Checkers

Operation  TWIST has been initiated.  Maybe the financial outlook will improve.

4.  Publication

A book called Time for Outrage has been published in the U.S.  It is an English translation of Indignez-vous, a European best-seller written by Stephane Hessel, a 93 year old diplomat, French Resistance fighter in WWII, and a concentration camp survivor.

Mr. Hessel challenges young people to fight the outrageous things that are going on.  He wants them to stand up to what is wrong in the world, and like Lou Piel indicated in a recent column.. get off of one's butt and take action.

5.  Get lost!

Corn mazes are suddenly appearing around the area.  There is a remarkable one being unveiled at the Ag Center in Westminster, Maryland.   That MAZE is really AMAZING!  Bring the kids and get lost in the maze for a while. It's a lot of fun.

And now for the BAD NEWS!

6.  I'm Going Broke again!

The Stock Market is way way way down again and banks are paying almost nothing for the use of your money.  But I'm told that is OK because inflation is low.  I'd rather have a little inflation.. perhaps that would cause us to have some job creation.

7.  Ah Choo!

Once again, the 5 (count 'em) Carroll County (Maryland) Commissioners, in their wisdom, have cut funding for the Department of Health, and FLU shots are no longer going to be given by that organization.    People will have to get their shots out in the open  at Rite Aid or WalMart or Giant.  Some Medical Offices will be giving shots, at least to people over 65.. I guess that is because Medicare may subsidize them.

(These same  Commissioners have; however, found the money to hire a hot-shot Conservative advertising expert... as well as to contribute to a hot-shot lobbyist for the Maryland General Assembly.)

Another thing  that bugs me about these Commissioners...they like to have their planning sessions in private.. at least they used to before people complained.. when I was Chair of the Carroll County Commission on Aging, I had to make sure that all of our meetings were publicised and open to the general population.

8. "They look alike.."

Twenty six year old twins have been charged with burglary and other crimes in Counties surrounding our relatively crime free Carroll County Maryland.  The madula oblongata apparently has yet to mature in these two guys.  Its a shame we still don't have a Draft.. maybe that would have gotten them off the streets and into a program to learn a more useful skill than thievery.

9.  Did he or didn't he?

The Supreme Court opted not to hear the appeal information for convicted cop-killer, Troy Davis.  Apparently, most of the people who testified that they saw Troy do the crime, recanted their testimony. I would think that this would cause a reasonable doubt in the minds of most people.  But Mr. Davis was executed anyway... he maintained his innocence to the end.

Finally.. Hope?

10.  In an editorial in The Nation magazine dated September 26, 2011, four actions are outlined that President Obama can take, on his own, to relieve the jobs situation.  These are actions that do not allow for immediate obstruction by an obstructionist Congress.

a.  Forgive the mortgage debt for the millions of homeowners facing foreclosure.

Supposed result:  Put 71 billion dollars a year into the economy and create one million jobs.

b.  Enact trade and tax reforms and penalize the offshoring of jobs.

Supposed result:  Stop the accumulation of trillions of dollars in debt and keep jobs in the U.S.

c.  Let Government create pilot programs and public jobs.

Supposed result:  The generation of 2.2 million jobs.

d.  Let the Federal Reserve lend direct financial support to producers and workers, as they did to the financial sector.

Supposed result:  The end of this damned depression.

Do you think that the President will do any of these?

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Well, I think that I got  quite a lot into this day's hour.  At least, I got my juices flowing.  See ya.
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